2021 Tesla Model 3 4 DR RWD Early Release
Safety Ratings.
NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings help consumers compare vehicle safety when searching for a car. More stars mean safer cars.
Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.
Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.
The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.
Rollover Risk: 6.6%
153 Complaints
The car makes sudden braking when cruise control and/or autopilot is engaged. It’s very frustrating as the car thinks it’s emergency braking because of something in front of the vehicle but the sensors are misreading the stopping. It’s very scary.
When traveling on a two-lane highway, oncoming traffic - especially larger vehicles such as semi trucks - cause the car to think it is going to hit the oncoming traffic and engages the brakes and sounds the forward collision warning. If the driver is not quick, there is danger of being rear-ended due to the sudden and unexpected braking.
The new Tesla touch screen UI is a major safe risk. Tesla has decided to hide the controls for the defrosters and wipers to such a degree that we are required to trust the automatic solutions for both and they both are abject failures. The manual controls worked fine, but the new UI is such a disaster, that we can no longer safely use the controls without taking our eyes off the road and touch the screen multiple times. I have contacted Tesla multiple times about this and will continue to do so requesting a way to roll back the software update. They refuse to do anything about this, so I have no recourse except to file safety complains to the NHTSA.
While driving up SR95 in AZ at 65mph, the car suddenly provided an audio alert and then slammed on the brakes. It felt as the anti-lock may have engaged. When control was regained, I glanced at the screen and it appeared that it believed a person was in front of the car. There was nothing in front of the car at the time except the road and its common tar-snakes. All safety features were manually turned off to resume the drive. Though within seconds of turning on cruise control, it would start braking and being erratic forcing me to not use the basic cruise control. This was NOT while Autopilot was engaged. At the time of the main incident, cruise control wasn't even engaged. I was in full control of the vehicle and the throttle. But I could not override the braking. Thankfully the person behind was far enough not to be a major risk, but that was luck. Had anyone been following at your average distance, it would have been a rear end collision. This system is NOT safe and I will be looking at replacing the vehicle on this incident alone. I had experienced phantom braking often in the past, but never like this one where it panicked and slammed on the brakes so hard as to cause pain in my wife's shoulder due to the belt.
- Yes - The cruise control portion of autopilot has some dangerous bugs in it ('21 Model 3 Long Range). At freeway speeds, the phantom braking is scary ASF!!! Potentially, getting someone killed. While on my road trip between Los Angeles and Denver then back. I experience at least 20 to 30 phantom braking events from mild to dam near scaring the f$$k out of me. Most of these events were during the day at speeds that would have caused a serious accident if someone was following me too close!! During the night time the events were all mild in comparison to the day time events. -Yes -No -No
With Autopilot/adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle slows precipitously on the freeways before large overhead signs across the freeway. There is no need for this reduction in speed due to safety. The system phantom brakes.
Phantom breaking. The basic autopilot cruise control frequently + aggressively brake as it detects phantom threats due to obscured sensors. Car can brake from 65 to e.g. 40mph rapidly, causing more risk, due to the rapid deceleration. Car needs a basic cruise control feature
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - cruise control. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - traveling at 55-60 mph on a 2 lane highway at night when the car suddenly put on brakes because it must of saw something but there was nothing. I believe this is called "ghost braking". There was a car behind us and had to slow down as well. Luckily no accident was caused but scared my wife and I. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? It happened so fast I did not see any warning lights. The car just suddenly started to brake hard.
We recently purchased a new Tesla Model 3. This vehicle has Tesla Vision and doesn't have the radar unit to assist with TACC or Autosteer. With this vehicle, it has phantom braking on a frequently basis. For example, I drive on a two lane highway and in a 20 mile drive in clear daylight the vehicle will phantom brake anywhere from 5-10 during the trip. These phantom braking vary from random light braking for no reason to full on hard braking. Fortunately, we've been lucky not to have anyone behind us when these incidents occur. I've contacted Tesla and given them multiple dates and times. I was told that they were able to look at some data on the car and it appears everything is working as it should and it "should" get better with updates. I was also given a bunch of excuses why it was working as it should. I even sent Tesla a video of it doing a hard phantom brake and i was told that the highway was narrow. I've argued with them that this is occurring every day on every drive when we are on a two lane highway. I basically get told that it's functioning as it should, which clearly it is not. When I tell them I owned a 2019 Model 3 and we had zero phantom braking issues with it, but they have no answers. I feel their go to answers are it's a software issue and blame the engineers, which us customers don't have access to. This is going to cause a crash one day if this issue isn't taken seriously.
The car keeps abruptly braking between 10-20 mph speed reduction while at highway speeds. Seems to be when there's minor hills or curves but otherwise entirely open road without nearby vehicles. Happening in a 4 lane and 2 lane highway with cruise control set (not self driving or autopilot) and the autopilot, autosteer, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking options are all confirmed OFF.
Adaptive cruise control is becoming dangerous on two lane roads. It repeatedly tries to slam on the brakes as if there is an obstacle whenever a large truck or similar vehicle passes in the oncoming lane. It is dangerous to vehicles driving behind us and defeats the purpose of having adaptive cruise control.
The car has been phantom braking wrecklessly since July and has not been fixed. It almost caused an accident yesterday morning on the way home from my work. There was a vehicle approaching in the oncoming traffic lane and the lights were on. My car slammed on its brakes causing the person behind me to swerve. If it is low light conditions and a car is approaching in the oncoming traffic lane my Tesla will phantom brake almost always. This started with the vision only vehicles as my past Teslas with radar did not do this. It is now impossible to drive in low light conditions even with cruise control without the car slamming on its brakes constantly in autopilot or cruise.
I have experienced several incidents of “phantom braking.” The brakes automatically apply, slowing the car abruptly, when there is no discernible reason.
Car applied brakes while cruise control was engaged. There were no other vehicles around (either in front, approaching, or behind)
Since about November Tesla has been doing random emergency braking both day and night in the middle of the highway almost causing numerous near miss accidents while on auto pilot. Also scaring the hell out myself and other passengers. It sends my dog in the back seat flying forward too.
I was driving 65 on Highway 12 in California with the cruise control on and the car hit the brakes for no reason. I was not using autopilot, I was still controlling the steering. The car behind me had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting me. This has happened several times and I am not afraid to use cruise control
While using adaptive cruise control the car unexpectedly and unnecessarily brakes, rather sharply at times. This occurs especially frequently on two lane roads with curves and with trucks coming from the opposite direction. This does not occur, in my 6 months of owning this Tesla Model 3, on freeways.
The car phantom brakes a lot. When sun is directly hitting from front, the car wouldn’t go in autopilot. The car phantom brakes on 1 lane streets a lot when there is a car coming from the front. When going the speed limit, it changes automatically to lower speed limits out of nowhere and is a hazard and dangerous because there are cars coming from the back and can hit the car when it reduces the speed very fast. Have submitted multiple phantom braking issues with Tesla with pressing and holding right scroll wheel but nothing has happened so far to correct this issue. When a big trailer changes lane and comes to the near lane of the car, the car thinks it’s going to hit the truck so it phantom brakes.
Car continues to have instances of phantom braking, no acknowledgment from Tesla regarding the issue. Occurs randomly and unpredictably, causing a serious safety hazard for cars following behind on the road.
On January 26th at about 4:30 pm pm on a clear day I was proceeding west at approximately 55mph on US33 between Barboursville and Ruckersville VA on a straight section of the road with a slight downward slope. I was not using cruise control. A tractor-trailer sized truck was going east and as it approached my Tesla braked hard, maybe maximally, and the panel flashed red, I think. I think I stepped on the brake pedal, but the braking ended instantly as the truck passed. There was no skidding or swerving. No car was close so there was no collision. There was no warning. The police were not called. I have not contacted the manufacturer - yet, as I assume it is a software problem that they are already working on.
In December, Tesla released a software update that made Model 3 and Model Y cars unsafe to operate. They hid the defroster buttons and many other important controls behind menus that require multiple touchscreen presses to operate. This is unsafe to do while driving and as such we don't drive this car if the weather is at all suspect. The interface for safely operating a car should not rely on taking your eyes off the road to navigate touchscreen menus. Tesla has refused to roll back the software update and has promised a future update in the future to address some of these concerns. It's been over a month now. This needs immediate attention.
I've complained to Tesla as well. No known fix at this time. When Autopilot is engaged, it will pick up phantom objects and brake hard to avoid. I notice this happens mostly when passing semis, RVs, trailers. I see this happening on any turn where a vehicle is in the lane next to you or on the other side of the road. The latest one I had autopilot engaged, I was alone on the highway, and it braked hard for no reason. Brought me from 75-80 mph down to 20 mph in an instant. It then accelerated hard up to 80 again. Within a couple of seconds, it braked hard again down to 20 mph. Autopilot doesn't work. Tesla had no fix and their recommendation was to not use it anymore. I bought the Tesla for that reason. Full Self Driving is even worse. I'm afraid to use it because I have a delayed reaction in Full Self Driving mode. It is unsafe and it will cause an accident.
Any time I have the car in autopilot, it unexpectedly phantom brakes. Even when I'm not using autopilot, and I am using cruise control, the phantom braking still occurs. In several instances I have had people come close to hitting my car's rear. The braking is not subtle. It is rapid and aggressive. This issue creates a major danger for anyone in my car and others on the road.
This has happened frequently since I took delivery of the vehicle, I did have one repair request with tesla but they said they could not duplicate and the vehicle did not store enough data to confirm an issue. when driving with adaptive cruise control or cruise control with lane centering (autopilot) enabled the vehicle will SLAM on brakes (Like full emergency braking) with nothing in front of me. sometimes it chimes warning of a potential collision, sometimes it gives no visual or audible reason. It also will have more frequent events of mild to moderate braking. These events happen on interstates and two lane roads mostly but has also happened on multiple lane lower speed roads as well. it has gotten to where I do not use these features as I have almost been rear ended multiple times now due to these events. Tesla's general attitude to this was that it wasn't a big deal which i completely disagree. I have driven older teslas that still have a radar chip and it happens much less frequently and less severe on those. When I purchased the vehicle they informed me that the radar was no longer necessary and that it was to REDUCE these events. This happens from 20mph to 80+ all the way from 10 miles to the current 15,000
Our Tesla Model 3, while using the Adaptive Cruise Control, will apply full brakes with either nothing in the road ahead or with oncoming traffic on a 2-lane highway. This is extremely dangerous and a hazard to vehicles behind us. This occurs every time it is used, with frequency up to 4 times in a single minute. Tesla has cancelled 2 service requests this month stating this is normal operation.
While driving on the highway and using auto pilot it has had multiple instances of phantom brakes doing highway speeds it will slow cars down rapidly and for no apparent reason. Really needs to get corrected.
When the car is in assisted autopilot, the vehicle will brake very hard when not necessary.
Phantom braking occurs about once every 15-20 minutes of long distance highway driving while using Tesla Autopilot. Specifically, for no apparent reason, with no obstacle in front or near the car, while driving highway speed on Autopilot, the car suddenly slams on the brakes on its own.
1. Vehicle brakes for no reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control 2. At night on come head lights appear to cause braking while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control. 3. Vehicle brakes for no reason when on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when on two lane road (one lane each direction) when on coming large vehicle approaching. 4. Vehicle brakes for no apparent reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when light conditions cause high contrast shadows on the road.
On several occasions, when the car was on cruise control and for no apparent reason, it suddenly braked from 70/65 mph to 30. Not only was this startling and frightening, it could have caused a rear-end collision, especially on Interstate 66 in VA where cars often follow too close. I contacted Tesla twice about the issue and set up a service appointment. Tesla cancelled the appointment the day before, saying they needed to have specific "time stamps" of the incidents. When I gave them a several day range, they said that wasn't specific enough, that I should drive the car and "time stamp" the next incident. Great idea, Tesla, for me to risk injury so they can get a "time stamp". In a word, they were dismissive and responded as if this were the first they'd heard of such a problem. It is a significant safety issue not only for the driver but for anyone in nearby cars.I have only had the car 4+ months and it terrifies me. The Washington Post had an article this week indicating this is a problem with many Teslas. Now I know I'm not alone. Would appreciate NHTSA's assistance in getting this safety issue resolved.
I've had 2 incidents of phantom braking in 13 months of ownership. Both times when using cruise control. Scary stuff.
When using traffic aware cruise control or auto steer the car phantom breaks and issues warning chimes when it senses large vehicles approaching on undivided 2 lane roads. The car also phantom brakes when it misidentifies shadows on these same 2 lane roads. I have almost been rear ended by closely following traffic several times. This has been happening since new. We have been patient, hoping a software update would fix this very well known problem.
Phantom Braking occurs often and cannot use the autopilot.
When using the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle, which is the only cruise control there is, the car will often brake hard for no reason, or inappropriate reasons. This most recent incident was a two lane highway (one lane each direction) where oncoming cars who were in their lane would cause the car to think a collision was imminent, start beeping, and brake hard. Another incident appeared to brake for shadows, but I am unsure! Overall the experience, and experiences of many other Tesla owners facing similar problems has caused me to just be unable to use cruise control at all as I fear it could cause an accident.
When driving at low speeds (below35) we have had 2 instances of the car braking with no obstacles.
When driving in several locations near my home, with cruise control engaged (not full driving, just cruise control), the car will suddenly slow to ~20mph and stay at that speed for a few moments, and then accelerate back up to the legal speed limit of 55mph, 60mph, etc. There are no objects on or near the road, no other cars, and it appears to be a problem with the software that identifies if there is an object in the road to automatically reduce speed or slow down. There are no warning chimes, no feedback to the driver of the reason to slow down, no posted speed limit signs, etc. I can duplicate this every time I traverse these roadways. One of the most significant reasons I purchased this vehicle was it's advertised safety features like emergency braking and such. However, with this problem, I either have to disable the auto-braking feature, or not use the driving assist features (like cruise control). This is a significant issue for me, and I have no doubt going from a 60mph roadway to 20mph for no reason will result in me getting rear-ended or at the very least cause problems for drivers behind me.
Driving on cruise control only. Autopilot was not engaged. I was cruising at 50mph when it "phantom" braked out of nowhere. It was clear as day in front of me and luckily the car behind me was a hundred yards or so. It abruptly decreased speed to 35mph before I could get back up to speed by manually using the accelerator to override cruise control. This has happened many times and I'm afraid to use such features moving forward.
While driving in cruise control, my Tesla 3 braked for no reason. No accident occurred because no one was behind me. It has happened about 10 times. It has not been confirmed by a dealer because I do not live near a dealer. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representatives. No warning lights or messages appeared to warn me.
System: Traffic Aware Cruise Control Safety Risk: Full regenerative breaking in the fast lane on a highway with a car following behind. Car behind had to initiate emergency braking. Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: No, braking automatically initiated System: Lane Departure Warning Safety Risk: Misreading a parking garage and initiating lane departure warning chime Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: Yes, warning chime initiated and warning message.
While using the autopilot feature on my Tesla, there have been several instances where the car will brake suddenly for no apparent reason. This has happened at high speeds and at slow speeds under various conditions. The braking is so severe that if a car was following behind they would have to react quickly to avoid an accident. Multiple instances over the last year.
Since my ownership, I have experienced multiple phantom braking incidents with my 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. I would estimate that I experience 3 to 5 severe phantom braking incidents per week. It is nearly a daily occurrence during my daily commute to work. Sometimes there are multiple incidents during one leg of my commute. I have filed several requests for service with Tesla through their application and every time the technical support says the system is working properly. I have given them explicit details and information about the incidents which have helped them to identify the time and location but they have never fixed/changed/remedied the phantom braking issue. I have filed these requests for service to protect myself if I'm ever involved in a serious accident due to these phantom braking incidents.
1st incident Driving on a 2 lane road @ 55MPH with no oncoming traffic emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) with no obstacles in my path. 2nd incident driving on a 8 lane highway @65 MPH (I-71) with very little traffic (and no oncoming obstacles) emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) no obstacles in my path. 3rd incident driving on a different 2 lane road @ 45 MPH emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) no obstacles in my path. I have only owned the vehicle 2.5 months and less the 1300 miles on the odometer.
Driving on the interstate in autopilot with nobody in front of me but there was somebody riding my rear. And the vehicle decided to phantom break which almost caused the guy to rear end me while going 75 mph it could have been lethal.
Phantom braking for no apparent reason. Worst occurrence was this morning driving home from work on cruise control, max speed cruise 73mph, suddenly my car braked on its own down to 59mph in 2 seconds. Very scary. My wrist hurts from that incident & my forehead almost hit the steering. Nothing in front & thank God no tailgating car behind me. This is not safe. It happens to me all the time but this was the scariest of all.
When vehicle is in full self drive mode, sometimes it mistakenly detects an obstacle on the highway and applies brakes. This event presents risk of getting rear ended at high speed on highways.
Phantom braking when using cruise control. Car suddenly braking or rapidly decelerating for now discernible reason when traveling at speed on highways, both two-lane and multilane. The problem has occurred many times since first acquired in December 2021.
When driving north on Highway 61 between St. Louis, MO and Hannibal, MO and using "autopilot" adaptive cruise control, the vehicle will slam on it's brakes even when nothing is on the road in front of it. It happens multiple times through the duration of this trip. It's absolutely terrifying, and I hope it doesn't ever take effect when vehicles are behind me. It's so scary that I've stopped using cruise control out of fear it will brake check for no reason and cause an accident.
Recently, at least it was noticed starting in Dec 2021, while driving on two lane highways under cruise control or self driving, the vehicle would brake hard at vehicles approaching in the opposite lane. Large trucks especially triggered the response. The braking response definitely put the safety of the occupants and following vehicles at risk. I have not taken it to a dealer or service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or any symptoms prior. I have stopped using those features while on two lane roads. I certainly am hoping for a software update to solve this issue.
The problem I am having, when I use traffic-aware cruise control, is "phantom braking" This has occurred multiple times on two-lane highways when a large truck is passing in the opposite lane, and sometimes on a freeway when I pass a large truck that is in the right lane. The car suddenly slows or stops and the forward collision warning alarms sound. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This upsets everyone in the vehicle because it is so sudden that they are startled and frightened when the alarm sounds and the car abruptly brakes. My wife has asked me to not use the traffic-aware cruise control at all because of this problem. I have owned the car almost 9 months and my wife has not and will not drive it because of the this problem. It is also quite dangerous because a vehicle behind me would not be expecting me to slow down or stop when there is no apparent reason to do so and may crash into my car. I have not contacted Tesla because I have thought the problem would be fixed by now with a software update, but after a number of updates the problem persists. I know other Tesla owners are having the same problem. I will contact Tesla today.
The car was running 2021.40.6 at the time of latest incident, but have noticed it with previous verisons as well. Car abruptly brakes HARD on the freeway when autopilot is being used. I have the non-FSD beta version, with just basic autopilot. I had to immediately intervene to prevent a car behind me from colliding. The driver assumed i was brake checking them. I've seen reports of this incident repeat with other Teslas owned by friends - have not gone to the service center as they aren't very helpful with software issues. The car has not been inspected I don't recall receiving any warning from the car - the car suddenly started braking hard on the freeway, so i had to disengage autopilot and accelerate immediately
When adaptive cruise control is engaged the car brakes when it sees oncoming traffic even though the vehicle is clearly in it lane. This also happens when it sees a semi truck driving in the same direction but in the adjacent lane. Its at a minimum annoying but it is quite dangerous especially when cars are behind me.
When in Autopilot (Adaptive Cruise Control) the vehicle intermittently slams on the brakes at highway speeds. I have not been able to determine any pattern for when this will happen - it’s disruptive and potentially dangerous.
The vehicle, while operating in autopilot mode, will automatically brake aggressively for no apparent reason. No physical object including shadows or potholes are in the way for this to occur. I have experienced this phantom braking on multiple occasions while using the driver assist mode on (autopilot). Being the attentive driver that I am, I quickly disengage the autopilot and manually take over to avoid a rear end collision. I have not had the vehicle inspected by Tesla or my insurance company as this is apparently a common theme with this car.
While driving the vehicle using autopilot or adaptive cruise control, the vehicle "phantom brakes" - meaning the vehicle abruptly applies the brakes to slow down even though there are no obstacles in the road. This happens almost every time either one of these systems is used.
Our 2021Tesla Model 3, delivered in September 2021, has ongoing, repeated problems with sudden, unexpected braking, whenever cruise control or auto-steer is engaged. This happens regularly while driving on two lane highways, usually when a large sized vehicle is approaching in the opposing lane, but it also occasionally happens when there is no oncoming vehicle. Typically, an alarm also sounds and a warning light flashes in the car, warning of imminent collision risk. This happens every time we have used cruise control or auto-steer sometimes with nearly every large oncoming vehicle. This is unsafe because of the risk of a rear-end collision. The car dramatically slows. It also risks injury to the car occupants from being thrown forward unexpectedly. Along with the alarm and flashing signal, the braking is so dangerous and unnerving that it makes cruise control and auto-steer unusable. We have complained to Tesla of this problem. Tesla recently shipped the car to inspect more fully at its facility in Honolulu, but so far has reported that it is operating within "normal parameters." The rep suggested that the cruise control is not designed to work on a two lane highway such as we have on the Big Island of HI, although she says that it does not happen with every Tesla here. It occurs even on straight, level sections of wide, two lane highways with clearly marked lanes and wide shoulders. Tesla still has our car. When we read the Washington Post article explaining that many others are experiencing this problem, we felt we should report as well. We have advised Tesla that the cruise control and auto-steer functions in our car are unsafe and unusable in their current condition. We do not use cruise control or auto-steer except to test whether the problem has been fixed. We do not have full self-driving.
During a 144 mile trip, my late 2021 Model 3 "phantom-braked" 4 separate times in just one day. Meaning the car saw some imaginary object in front of it and proceeded to slam on the brakes with traffic behind me. The first two occurrences this day were due to what I'm assuming is the shadow of two Semis. The third occurrence was after driving past a van on the shoulder with the autopilot system off. The last occurrence, before I seriously began to feel unsafe in this car, occurred when about to cross below an overpass with nonexistent traffic in front of me. Up until this specific day, I've experienced 4 phantom braking events spread across 4 months and 4500 miles. After today, and an additional 4 occurrences of phantom braking added within a few miles, my model 3 feels unsafe to me
Phantom breaking has occurred regularly with this vehicle when using adaptive cruise control on two-lane roads. Oncoming traffic in the opposite lane will cause the vehicle to suddenly decelerate, which has led to moments where the vehicle was rear ended. This has most typically occurred during curves in the road. There has never been a valid reason for the sudden deceleration, and the car is apparently confusing the oncoming vehicle with a imminent danger.
When using Autopilot and/or cruise control, the vehicle will brake hard for absolutely no reason. For example, when driving at highway speeds, the vehicle will drop from 70 mph to 45 mph in an instant. In my experience, it tends to happen when there are sudden changes in ambient light.
The vehicle will unexpectedly slam on the brakes while using the Traffic Aware Cruise Control. I've noticed it happens mostly on two lane highways with oncoming traffic or heavy shadows on the road. It will also happen on interstates when a shadow is on the road or a dark patch. I'm afraid I will be rear ended if this continues.
On a recent road trip from CA to UT while driving on four lane roads whenever I had Traffic-Aware Cruise Control enabled and approached a large vehicle from the passing lane the vehicle would suddenly slam on the brakes, dropping 15-25 mph in seconds, it would also do this for zero apparent reason when there was no other vehicles or objects within sight. Several times it almost caused a collision when a vehicle was following to closely behind us. I had to disable and stop using the feature to avoid a possible rear end collision!
Since purchasing my Tesla new in 6/21, I've been experiencing random and dangerous "Phantom Braking" where the vehicle will suddenly brake hard on the highway for no reason. On a few occasions, this created a hazard for motorists behind me. This has been occurring in rural and urban settings with the vehicle's cruise control or AutoPilot set. It doesn't matter which system I use, phantom braking is persistent in both. I contacted Tesla service twice on this issue and each time I was informed "no malfunction found with sensors or vehicle operation." I was hopeful that Tesla would release a software update to mitigate this issue (other Tesla owners have voiced this issue on social media and forums), however nothing has been resolved in the 7 months I've owned this vehicle.
Emergency braking is applied while using adaptive cruise or autopilot. This happens on two lane undivided roads with larger vehicles approaching on the opposite side. It does not happen with cars or pick ups. For no reason the forward collision warning will sound and emergency braking is applied. If a vehicle is behind my car I would have been rear ended. I have sent error reports over the air to Tesla at the moment. I also brought my car into service and documented this issue. They did recalibrate the forward cameras but no difference was seen. Just out of the blue the car will.reduce speed by 20 mph. In my video the speed went from 46 to 29. The funny thing is it did not slow fir the oversized truck. I have videos if the incidents but I cannot upload them on here.
While driving in cruise control at set at 75mph, the car suddenly started to slow down. (Note, the nearest car ahead of me was at least 15 car lengths away and was not braking, so it should not have affected my speed) When I tried to accelerate, the car continued to de-accelerate. I looked at the screen and it indicated that cruise control was set at 50. When the car reached 50 mph, it stopped de-accelerating and I was able to increase my speed. I tapped the brake to get out of cruise control and continued my trip.
Hello, Driving on a snowy road around 20 MPH. Attempted to slow down in a straight line, used the brakes to try and slow vehicle to go into a driveway. Vehicle would not respond to any inputs. The brake pedal seemed frozen, coming off and back on the brake pedal did not change anything. There sounded like an ABS pulsing but it was not working. Post accident pictures showed it looked like the car was dragging one axle like it was locked in the snow. Car ending up grazing a mailbox post and afterword said 'take control'. I believe the car tried to do an automated braking maneuver which did not work. The road was covered in 1-2" of snow and the mailbox would have been a reference point in the distance. When turning the steering wheel away from the object that was hit, the car continued to go straight like the wheels were not attached. The car never veered left or right during this whole event even though i tried to turn.
Purchased my Model 3 in August 2021. Autopilot and cruise control features worked flawlessly for the first few months of ownership. In September of 2021 after a software update, the vehicle started to perform unsafe reactions while on autopilot or cruise control. If any large vehicle like a semi-truck or vans were traveling in the opposite direction of travel on any two lane road, cruise control or autopilot will slam on the breaks and activate the forward collision warning tones. Reactions like this from driver assist technology could easily result in a multi-car accident. While commuting on a busy road (10 miles) on cruise control/autopilot, this issue could occur over 10 times on one drive. While making contact with Tesla service in September, a representative said that Tesla's autopilot software team was aware of the issue affecting Model 3's similar to my VIN. The representative ensured that the team was working on a software update to fix this issue. This problem continued until January 13th when I had a service appointment where I stated the same issue. The technician wanted a ride to experience the issue the car had. After getting the issue to reoccur, the technician stated that "he had never seen this problem before." After he fixed an unrelated issue with the car, he reassured me that the issue is know by Tesla and they were working on a software update to resolve the issue. After over three months with this major safety defect, I am reporting this issue to NHTSA.
Dangerously brakes for no apparent reason while using adaptive cruise control. Especially common on two-lane roads. Occurs approximately once every 20 miles of driving. Has caused near accidents on three occasions. Tesla does not take any action. Car has the most recent software update.
My vehicle has a VCFRONT_A447 error code and will not heat up. With temperatures as low as -20 and highs of 25 not only is just the temperature potentially deadly but im unable to defog my windshield without freezing. I feel my car is entirely unsafe to drive.
On a recent road trip (8-9 hours) my car had a number of software tics that had been noticed (music skipping, screen responding slowly, etc.). After 7 hours on the road, while the Autopilot system was engaged my main screen froze on the car. Out of caution, I moved to exit the highway. While exiting, the entire screen in my car turned off, but all car functions were operable (turn signals, braking, accelerating, etc.). Once safely in a parking lot, I tried to do a soft reset with no success. After contacting service they told me the log indicated an issue that required a tow. In the interim I was able to do a power cycle which resolved the issue (but was difficult to perform since the screen was flashing on/off). The service rep recommended driving home but scheduling a follow up service. Subsequently the follow up team has informed me this is a "known software issue which is currently under investigation". Given the impact this software bug has on the primary information screen it seems to be a valid safety concern and should be issued as a recall.
On *multiple occasions* when driving on a highway and using cruise control, the car has suddenly and severly decelerated. Tesla advises that for my vehicle the safety system to detect possible collisions is still in the "BETA phase" and has initially been programmed to be over-sensitive. Tesla claims that as software updates are made, this issue will improve. [See uploaded screenshot of text chat I had with Tesla service on 1/19/21.] I have an appointmnet to take the vehicle in, but Tesla says I must be able to give then exact dates and times of occurrences or otherwise there is too much code on the vehicle's computer log for their systemt to be able to analyze. (I am able to give them some dates but not exact times.) My fear and concern in the meantime is that such unpredictable deceleration events when traveling at highway speeds could result in a rear-end collision with a vehicle behind me. When I expressed this to Tesla, their reply was: "It is the driver's responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times." I pointed out to them the obvious fact that none of those things can prevent this issue from happening, and received no further reply.
The windshield wipers are controlled by a sensor and the computer. Unfortunately, they come on too slowly. Several times I have been driving in the rain, waiting for the windshield wipers to start clearing the windshield. Each time, the rain on the windshield has gotten so bad that I was unable to see anything out my windshield. If the car in front had braked quickly, or if some pedestrian was trying to cross the street, I would not have known. I tried to tell this to a Tesla service rep, but was told the wipers are controlled by the computer and there is nothing they can do.
I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control.. When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford model F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car. Fortunately the driver was alert and by sharply apply his brakes on driving into the ditch he avoided colliding with me. This could have been (and nearly was) a lethal accident. I would urge that you put a recall on a Tesla vehicles until this problem is corrected. I have contacted other Tesla owners and they have experienced similar problems. I contacted my local Tesla service station and they seemed unconcerned about the problem. I urge you to issue a recall before someone is seriously hurt or killed.
Vehicle displayed "no capable drive units" error at 106 miles on 10/08/2021. System shut down and stranded me in downtown Tampa traffic less than a mile from my home and fewer than five minutes after I started the car. All propulsion was lost and I did not have sufficient warning or time to process the situation and safely handle the vehicle. Tesla Tampa Service Center diagnosed a failed drive unit and took approximately 27 days to repair the vehicle. The service center invoice described the drive unit replacement as a goodwill repair and not a warranty failure. This seemed odd to me as goodwill repairs are generally special accommodations to satisfy customers. I was told there were parts delays. Tesla seems to be managing its supply chain to get these cars turned around to avoid lemon law exposure (my wait was just under one month) and to suppress the number of warranty failures by calling them goodwill repairs. All at the expense of customers. The service center was generally arrogant and noncommunicative in resolving the issue. Happy to gather records and discuss further.
Multiple phantom braking incidents on regular cruise control (not autopilot).
The automatic rear trunk closure button gets water inside wetting the electrical wiring. It has caused my trunk to randomly open at times and more importantly, can cause an electrical fire. This has put my safety, as well as any passengers at risk for injury and or death. I have not reproduced the issue because it has not rained, nor have I had the car washed. I have notified Tesla of this approximately a month ago and they continue to cancel & reschedule my appointment. There seems to be no urgency to investigate or fix the issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone to date. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the issue.
Driving on the beltway around Washington DC the weather conditions were variable and the revised user interface in version 11 of the Model 3 software made changing the defroster settings dangerous while in traffic. Previously, it was a single icon on the control screen. Now it requires a push of an icon and a search for the correct controls and adjustments.
While driving in cruise control the car will break suddenly for no reason. I had a close call to where I was worried that the car behind me would hit me. The sudden breaking has happened many times. It's terrifying. I had to quit using auto pilot and cruise control when someone is following me for that reason. When I contacted Tesla about the concern they replied saying that they completed a hardware diagnostic on the vehicle and determined that there is no hardware failure. I provided them with the timestamps for the dashcam for several incidents. This is a HUGE safety concern. The cruise control system is dangerous.
Tesla removed the ability to hang up a phone call via the steering wheel buttons which poses a massive safety issue. Currently the only ways to end a phone call are: 1- Having the person on the other end of the call end the call 2- Press the "end" button on the touchscreen (more details below) 3- Press the "end" button on the phone itself (note: physically interacting with a phone while driving is illegal in Georgia so this is not a viable option) The touchscreen generally has the phone call status on the bottom-left of the screen when a call is active. However there are times when this goes away which causes the driver to be required to navigate through a non-intuitive menu to get the phone call to reappear on the screen. Those times are: 1- a text message comes in while a call is in progress. That text message covers the phone call status 2- the windshield wipers are manually activated while a call is in progress. The windshield wiper status covers the phone call status 3- software bugs often cause the phone call status to disappear entirely, requiring a driver to swipe through the screen until the phone call status reappears Ending a phone call with a physical button was previously an option on the Model 3, as well as other Tesla models. Removing that option is a danger to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians as distracted driving is a huge factor in automobile accidents.
The car repeatedly applies the brakes when the cruise control is engaged when there is no imminent safety issue. It will do this on the highway when vehicles are following putting me at risk for a rear end collision. When I use the cruise on secondary roads (to stay under the speed limit) the behavior is similar. The car will apply brakes for passing shadows, again putting me at risk for a rear end collision. I no longer use the cruise function because the braking operation is unpredictable and it is, in my opinion, generally hazardous.
The heat stops working at cold conditions. Many other users have reported this problem, after going into service I was told there is a sensor that is out in the open behind the bumper that when exposed to snow and rain can freeze and causes heat to stop working. I have experienced this myself when going on a trip back home from upstate NY to NC , I had no heat with temps outside being at 3 degrees F , not only was the car extremely cold causing me and my wife to get sick , but you can not use the defrost because there is no heat. So there is absolutely no visibility since there’s frost on all windows that you cant do anything about.
On 1/3/21, approximately 2pm. Driving south on I-77 in the city of Broadview Heights. In center lane of highway with Autopilot (speed and steering only) on. A Hummer in my left lane drifts into my lane and hits my car (I have video). No alarms or alerts went off to warn me. No automatic steering occurred. My car continued in lane and at speed (about 64mph), until my driver mirror broke off and adjusted my position to the left. Broadview Height police report # [XXX]. I have a service request into Tesla. I am awaiting the at-fault party insurance to contact me to begin repair process. To above questions: -I am suspicious about the ultrasonic sensors and/or camera and it failure to warn me I was about to be hit. -I was hit on my driver's side by a car that was not detected by my Tesla -I have a service request made to Tesla, awaiting response -No inspections or diagnostics have been performed yet by Tesla -No warning occurred. I am very familiar with the warning my car can produce: things like drifting out of my lane; someone in front of me braking hard; or Autopilot applying brakes when it thinks a car is in front of me (when it's actually on a curved road). INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Multiple random automatic braking occurred during Freeway cruising
Tesla in the December 2021 V11 software update as made the car's common control user interface unsafe. Critical controls, such as defrost and climate control, as well as many others (like trip, tire pressure, heated seats, windshield wipers) , are now only accessible by hunting through menus - - all which require the driver to turn their eyes off the road for longer periods of time than the previous user interface. Font sizes have also been made much smaller which will cause readability issues. This is a road hazard and needs to be addressed, and there is no option available to downgrade to the safer user interface. Please require Tesla to perform an over the air recall for this UI to correct these safety issues.
New software update removes easy access to basic functionality like wipers, defrost, heat, etc. and requires the driver to dig through multiple submenus which requires taking eyes off the road for an extended period of time.
Tesla pushed out a new user interface over Christmas. The new interface buries the wiper controls and defrost controls under sub-menus and you can no longer quickly access them while driving. It takes multiple clicks and requires you removing your eyes from the road for a long time. Furthermore, there is no way to revert back to their old interface.
This is a follow up to my complaint issued NHTSA ID Number: 11439598. You opened an investigation and Tesla promptly backed down, but only in regards to one PORTION of my complaint. Tesla has now disabled video game playing on the front dashboard screen while the car is in motion. Good! But there's more to be addressed. Tesla still allows Live web browsing on that same screen. A keyboard pops up. You can type in your search, then click around most websites (except for YouTube, which is appropriately blocked.) I checked the latest update and Tesla has now moved the web browsing feature into the "Entertainment" category. Web browsing is permitted FOR DRIVERS. It is not "restricted" to passengers only. This is inherently dangerous. Please do not close this case before this web browsing distraction is addressed as well.
Several times during every drive where Cruise Control/Autopilot is used, an event known as "Phantom Braking" occurs often time triggering the collision warning systems with no danger present. Phantom breaking is the automatic braking of the Cruise Control/Autopilot systems when no danger is present, causing an unexpected and dangerous automatic braking event. I wish to emphasize that this happens when either system is used under safe conditions and even within the guidelines recommended by Tesla. It is available for inspection should it be necessary. During these events, a vehicle following mine can and has been caught off-guard by the sudden braking, resulting in near-miss rear-endings. The danger of a vehicle collision is extremely high in these scenarios. The problem happens consistently on two-lane roads with no median using standard cruise control (Autopilot is only recommended on divided highways/interstates). Phantom braking still occurs at random in varied environments with both systems. My vehicle has not been taken to a dealer, but the issue has been confirmed/acknowledged by the manufacturer with no solution. This vehicle is new and delivered to me this year. The problem has been occurring since taking ownership/lease. Aside from the the emergency collision warning chime occurring sometimes at the same time as the braking event, there are no symptoms, warnings, or lamps appearing prior to the automatic braking nor afterwards. I have attempted to use the vehicle's camera recalibration and have changed available safety settings to every combination possible to attempt a consumer fix for the issue, but no combination of settings seems to keep the automatic braking events from happening
I want to report an issue I have with Tesla concerning the damage that occurred to my vehicle as a result of a failure of Tesla FSD version 10.3 firmware release 2021.36.5.2 recalled by Tesla on 10/29/21 NHTSA recall number 21V-846. At noon on 10-24-21, I was testing the latest release of FSD as part of the beta program. My Tesla was in self-driving mode on a city street at 35 mph. This was the same route it had already successfully done earlier in the day, when suddenly the car jumped over the curb, causing damage to the bumper, to the wheel and a flat tire. This appeared to have been caused by a discolored patch in the road that gave the FSD a false perception of an obstacle which it tried to avoid. Immediately after the accident, the car was towed to the service center. The repair was finished on 10/27/21 at which time I was asked to pay $2,332.37 to take possession of the car. I explained that the damage was caused by the recalled version of FSD NHTSA recall number 21V-846 and that Tesla should be liable for the damages. I was advised that the engineering team would conduct an investigation and based on the results the money would be reimbursed. However, I did not agree to pay hoping that after the investigation Tesla would honor the recall. After two months of waiting, there is still no communication on the results of the investigation even though the case is quite simple. The car was going straight at a very low speed in self-driving mode. There is nothing except the recalled version of FSD that could have changed its trajectory. Therefore, it is obvious that nobody looked at this issue and there is no commitment to doing so anytime soon. I communicated using the Tesla app chat that I am not willing to wait indefinitely and gave notice that I intend to file a petition with the Court. I gave e-mail notice to Tesla’s resolution team as well to make sure that my notice reaches Tesla’s legal department. I have paid the invoice on 12/22/21 to get my car back.
Phantom braking events on most every type of road and drive when using cruise control, not autopilot or other automated systems. Standard cruise control is unusable and is a safety concern with constant warning alerts and automatic emergency braking when other vehicles pass by safely in the adjacent lane.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle decelerated, and the brakes activated erroneously. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle returned to normal driving operation. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Constant “phantom braking” when using autopilot on the freeway and other roads. When the pavement changes color, the car slams on the brakes in the middle of the freeway. When a truck is in the opposing lane, the car slams on the brakes. When a truck is merging into a lane to my right on the freeway, the car slams on the brakes. This is extremely unsafe and frightening. This software is garbage and worse than my 6 year old Subaru. Tesla needs to address this, and I hope they’re eventually forced to.
We continue to have issues with Tesla's autopilot feature. The Model 3 with autopilot activated or just with the adaptive cruise control activated, will "phantom" brake for zero reason. Today, 12/14/2021, it happened three times within 90 minutes. All three times there was no reason for the car to make emergency actions. Once I had a truck with a trailer behind me, forcing them to brake hard to avoid hitting the rear of the car. I submitted a service request to Tesla and this is what they told me: Incidents like the one you are describing where the vehicle slowdowns for apparently no reason are generally caused by a few reason such as: Map data inaccuracy, Speed limit data inaccuracies, the vehicle reacting to an upcoming event, GPS position inaccuracies, and predicative driving anomalies. In all of these situations the computer is trying to make the safest determination of what to do with the information that it being fed. To us as drivers, it would seem like a bad decision, but the computer uses our input following these events to get better at predicting how it should respond. Anytime you intervene with an autopilot behavior decision you are helping the system as whole get better. There are no faults with any of the hardware in the vehicle and at this time these behaviors are a limitation of software in the system. Our engineering team is working to improve auto pilot with every firmware update and we hope to see improvements in future updates. I'm sorry you feel that was Justin. Future firmware updates will improve functionality. You always have the options of not using your AutoPilot until they do. Thank you
On a daily basis while using the Adaptive Cruise Control or Tesla Autopilot, I will experience multiple erroneous automatic braking events. The car generally slams the brakes on when it is cresting a hill, attempting to pass a semi truck, or when sun angles produce large shadows in the road. The automatic braking events are sometimes very aggressive and can be extremely dangerous, especially if someone is following behind you in high speed traffic. My wife has requested that I don’t use cruise control or autopilot while she’s in the car, as we experienced an unwarranted, aggressive automatic braking episode which caused great pressure against her pregnant belly on a previous road trip. Additionally, the cameras on my vehicle will often produce warning/error messages stating “X camera is blocked or blinded” for absolutely no reason other than headlights from oncoming traffic shining into my lane. I am unsure if this contributes to the automatic braking issue.
Windshield has highly visible internal reflections resulting in vertical ghosting in high contrast situations such as headlights brake lights and even on sunny days service center said it was within acceptable tolerance but it greatly diminishes the clarity of vision through the windshield. Haven't seen anything like it in the four other cars manufactured across two decades that I've driven regularly. Dangerous design or manufacturing defect.
Front right headlight on a brand new car no longer functions, safety was put at risk by the fact that it is illegal to drive on 1 working light in the dark and rain; and this happened thankfully before leaving home on a dark morning so it was detectable and actionable. Problem was confirmed by remote diagnostic from dealer. No warnings or messages before failure which was confirmed by Tesla representative on the phone. They have not inspected the component and will not return calls / have not responded to service scheduling for 3 days. There is no service possible when they have a monopoly on their supply chain and will not schedule service. My car is unsafe to drive and is basically a lemon at this point until they fix it.
My Tesla Model 3 is brand new and delivered in 2021, the vehicle has had no recalls or issues report by the manufacture and is running the latest software updates provided by Tesla, which as of this date is: 2021.36.8 I have driven the car since delivery a total of 5,596 miles, which includes a cross country road trip from CA to FL. During this trip I used "Autopilot" a feature which is touted as safe, however after my experience and reading and hearing other users reports I believe this is not the case. I had numerous cases of "phantom braking" which is where the vehicle believes there is an object that it will collide with and it slams the brakes on, usually dropping around ~20 MPH extremely rapidly. Many of these events occurred in lower light scenarios (night time) and almost all of them occurred when I had no vehicles in any direction for over half a mile, which means that there should have been no indicators flagging an emergency braking event. Here are some other reports, including a well known publisher CNET: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2021-tesla-model-y-review/ The Model Y and 3 share a lot of common design and technical elements, including their lack of a forward radar system, which is think is likely why this issue is occurring for these vehicles and not for the Model S and X. Here is a full user report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxvh60zBl70&t=1s I am writing this report in order to add myself to a growing list of Tesla customers that have not been listened to about this issue, it is a massive safety issue and should likely trigger a full investigation, this issue can easily be replicated with and 2020-2021 Model 3 and/or Y. And likely should trigger an immediate call for either a software patch, disabling of the feature, and/or recall of all affected vehicles, either to retrofit a radar system, or to fix the camera system.
Driving normally, with cruise control (not auto steering) engaged vehicle will spontaneously and dangerously apply emergency breaking. This happens regularly to the point I won’t use it. It’s going to cause accidents, especially when slippery conditions exist.
ADAS systems detect oncoming traffic from the opposing lane on single lane roads and sounds forward collision alarm. If using adaptive cruise control or Autopilot, vehicle will rapidly decelerate. This poses a risk to the occupants and vehicles behind from unexpected changes in speed, which could cause a rear-end accident. The issue can be repeated in the scenario described above. Forward Collision Warning alarm goes off when it sees a oncoming vehicle far off in the distance.
Vehicle will randomly have phantom braking and braking events when using adaptive cruise control. It happens more often when a vehicle has recently passed and it 150+ feet in front of the vehicle. This poses a safety risk for vehicles behind as the car will randomly slow down. The adaptive function becomes unusable.
Tesla cars are having an issue with phantom breaking which is causing the car to slow down or even slam on the brakes for zero reason. Since I have zero control of how close someone follows me, this is a huge safety issue and makes me fear for my life every time it happens. I drove 60 miles today on two lane roads and this happened at least 6 times. Seems to happen more on two lane roads that aren't flat, but I've had it happen other times too.
My new Tesla 3 deployed automatic emergency braking seven (7) times in a 5 hour period. The Tesla Autopilot was turned off due to reports of phantom braking like this from many other drivers in a Tesla online forum. Regardless, the car slammed on the brakes when there were no obstructions or cars in front of me. I almost suffered a rear end collision during one of these phantom emergency braking events, where the car suddenly braked from 70MPH to less than 40MPH. The malfunctioning component is likely the Tesla software that works with the forward-facing cameras which are installed as part of the Full Self Driving feature. While I did not pay the $10,000 for FSD, this system still operates for automated braking and lane departure. I have requested Tesla inspect the car, which has 482 miles on it, but am filing with you anyway due to the similarity between this experience today and the dozens of other complaints I have read about on the Tesla Owners forum called TOO.
Terrible phantom braking. On a road trip, flat straight open roads, little to no traffic in front of me, and consistent full on hard braking from 75mph down to 35mph in a split second. Multiple times and so consistent I had to stop using the cruise control completely. This never happened like this in my day to day city driving. But as is, the cruise control is nerve wracking and dangerous. Thankfully no cars behind me because it could very easily cause a serious and deadly accident.
On a recent trip, we started experiencing extreme issues with our car's cruise control and autopilot features. Specifically, when in cruise control or auto pilot, the car would randomly disengage the cruise control or auto pilot and start braking. Taking the car out of cruise control or auto pilot, restarting the car, etc did not fix the problem. We noticed the problem was much worse at night and when we were traveling on a two lane highway. We would be in cruise control/auto pilot and often when another vehicle would approach us from the opposite direction the vehicle would suddenly brake. While this happened more often at night, it continued to happen at any point during the day and when we were on many different roads/interstates. This seems extremely unsafe to have our vehicle hard braking randomly when we are traveling at high speeds (60mph+). We scheduled a service appointment with Tesla and were told that this is a software issue and we would have to wait for an update.
Recurrent, frequent, and unpredictable sudden braking while vehicle is being driven in TACC (Traffic Aware Cruise Control). These event, or "phantom brakes", occur when there is no visible obstruction ahead of the car (i.e. crossing vehicle or object), nor any environmental explanation (sun glare, heavy rain, etc.). Events occur in all conditions, including daytime, clear sky, with or without traffic. Frequently the collision warning will sound during these events. Given the episodes occur during highway driving, the unexpected hard braking is a set-up for being rear ended by cars behind me. These events are most common on 2 lane divided highways, and can occur as frequently as every 2-5 minutes. Brought in for evaluation at Tesla service center, and they refused to acknowledge any problem, stating the car is "operating as designed." This was based on the fact that they did not reproduce symptoms on their test drive. Although I had logged >20 of these events for them to review on the automated records, it was not clear this was done.
Whenever TACC (cruise control) is engaged and the car is on a two lane highway with no divider, it will aggressively brake and trigger the collision warning system when a semi-truck passes going the opposite direction.
While using autopilot feature on interstate highway the vehicle independently applied braking while traveling at 70 mph although no other vehicle nor any other physical object was observed. Also while using the same feature and traveling on a two lane highway at 55 mph the car independently applied braking when an large truck approached in the opposite on-coming lane. This exact event happened a second time when another large truck while traveling the same two lane highway. Autopilot was no longer used.
The “traffic aware cruise control” feature is flawed to the point of being unusable add dangerous. My Model 3 (leased in late September 2021) exhibits very frequent “phantom braking” problems when TACC is active. Some are mild, the car applying the brakes and slowing down despite the absence of nearby cars or hazards. Some are dramatic, the car slamming on its brakes and sounding an alarm — again, with no hazards. I have a service appointment scheduled for Dec 3 but I’m not optimistic.
For the past week, my car phantom braked with no obvious danger from a parked car. It just happens on a city road, not a freeway. Ithappened about 4 times
TRAFFIC AWARE CRUISE CONTROL WHILE CRUISE CONTROL IS OPERATING, DRIVING AT 70 MPH OR HIGHER, FOR NO APPARENT REASON, NO VEHICLES AHEAD OF ME, THE CAR BRAKES SUDDENLY. THIS HAPPENED AT LEAST SIX TIMES ON A 1000 MILE TRIP. IF A CAR HAD BEEN FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY, MY SUDDEN BRAKING COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE NOT FIGURED OUT HOW TO CONTACT TESLA ABOUT THIS. NO ONE HAS INSPECTED MY CAR. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS. AFTER I GOT HOME, I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND SAW THAT OTHERS HAD EXPERIENCED IT TOO. I'M WRITING IN THE HOPE THAT YOU WILL TELL TESLA TO FIX THE PROBLEM, OR AT LEAST TO OFFER THEIR CUSTOMERS PLAIN CRUISE CONTROL WITHOUT THE TRAFFIC AWARE FEATURE. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE HOURS, MOST RECENTLY ON OCTOBER 31, 2021.
Traffic Aware Cruise Control in the 2021 Model 3 is down right dangerous. Constant random braking for no reason at all. Happens multiple times if I use TACC on 2 lane roads. Happens nearly every time I use TACC on a 4 lane road. If I have traffic behind me I cannot use TACC at all for fear I would be rear ended.
"Traffic Aware Cruise Control" (aka Autopilot) applied full braking and sounded collision warning when no collision was imminent. Had traffic been following closely, a rear-end collision could have occurred. Several other similar "ghost braking" incidents have occurred but this was the worst and most dangerous. Vehicle has not yet been taken to a repair facility. Vehicle has not needed inspection by law enforcement nor insurance company.
While driving on C-470 westbound going 70 MPH with the car on Autopilot, the car braked hard dropping the speed to 40 MPH. If a car would have been behind me, they would have hit the back of my car. This issue is happening frequently, from neighborhood side streets, city streets, and on the interstate highway.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in full auto-drive mode approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,300. The VIN was unavailable.
Starting in June 2021, Tesla removed the radar sensing on their vehicles and switched to a vision-only (camera) system for adaptive cruise control and "auto pilot" operation. On my 2021 Model 3 Performance, I can not use either system without constant "phantom braking" events. Sometimes it will only gently pulse the brake pedal, but often it is very hard braking along with a beep and message on-screen saying I need to take immediate control of the car. This happens daily and is not hard to reproduce. If there is a car behind you, it can be quite dangerous. Even if they don't rear end you, often it will cause them to think you're doing a "brake check" and can lead to road rage incidents. My previous car (a 2018 Model 3 RWD) had a radar sensor and experienced mild (not hard) phantom braking roughly 2~3 times over an 18 month period. I still have access to that car and recently tested it for comparison. Even on the same software revisions, the old car drove flawlessly on ACC and Autopilot modes.
I have been experiencing very frequent adaptive cruise control breaking for no reason. It is getting worse with every software update. It seems like the car is very scared of oncoming traffic and will hit the breaks or slow down for no reason. Sometimes there will be no traffic at all and it happens. If a car is following closely I’m afraid I will be hit. I wish I could turn off adaptive cruise control but there is no option. This is a serious safety issue.
I was using auto pilot. The road was pretty empty single lane road. There was no car in front of me or coming in opposite direction. The car automatically slammed the brake pretty hard. We were lucky enough no one rear ended us. Looks like a software bug in Tesla. Please investigate. I will never ever again use this [XXX] auto pilot and risk my family life. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I was driving on FSD Beta but when an alien landed on the road in front of me. The FSD Beta software did not detect the alien’s vehicle and almost hit her as she was stepping out. System initiated beeps and I tried to take control but it forced control away from me and tried to steer towards the alien. I had to kick the car to get control back. Very dangerous to everyone involved.
Autopilot constantly brakes due to automatic emergency braking on two-way highways at night. Every time a car passes in the other direction, the car starts braking, often as soon as the headlights are visible. This is a significant safety issue and resulted in me disabling AEB, which re-enables automatically every time I drive. I needed to go out of my way and ensure no one was tailing me because the car would brake check them. This wasn't an isolated incident. Every time I've been on a two way highway and sometimes even on multi-lane unlit highways, I have these braking issues constantly. I was driving under the speed limit.
When driving using the traffic aware cruise control, the vehicle experiences frequent abrupt and random rapid deceleration. This causes a safety issue when other vehicles are behind due to the rapid change in speed. Occasionally the vehicle will produce a forward collision warning with nothing in the path of the vehicle. This makes the cruise control function less usable and no option to disable the adaptive function.
Car hits the brakes and activates the emergency braking and forward collision warning very frequently (10+ instances during a 1 hr drive) in instances that absolutely do not warrant it (no obstacles or cars in the lane of traffic). Product is unsafe in the condition that it is in, and car offers no way to revert to standard cruise control. This type of automatic behavior could cause accidents.
Vehicle slams brakes on with on coming traffic when cruise control activated. Have attempted to contacted Tesla several times. Tesla actually canceled a mobile service stating they did an update to fix the issue. It did not. In fact it made the problem worse. The are not answering my emails or texts, calling the service line does no good the say they can’t see the issue in their data
When I use cruise control, the car will brake suddenly sometimes very fast or moderate braking. There is no reason for the car to break. It happens on 2 lane roads and 4 plus lanes. I can not determine if tree shadows cause it. It often breaks when a car is coming from the opposite direction on a curve. It also breaks during the night on a 2 lane road when a car comes from the opposite direction. Sometimes it has freaked so hard that if anything is on the seat, it is thrown toward the floor. I fear I could be hit from behind due to unnecessary braking, so I will only use cruise control if there is little or no traffic on on roads with 4 or more lanes.
Tesla is now making interactive video games and live internet web searching possible on the main front seat display WHILE THE CAR IS DRIVING. The video games are allegedly restricted only to passengers. Web browsing is available to anyone at any time. Why is a manufacturer allowed to create an inherently distracting live video which takes over 2/3 of the screen which the driver relies on for all vehicle information? Tesla has no gauges above the steering wheel. NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion. Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent.
I noticed you have a recall for SOME Teslas about a glitch with the auto braking after latest Beta FSD rollout. My Tesla has had this since day one, and I don't have or use FSD. I do use the adaptive cruise control, and that is when I have problems with my car slamming on the brakes for no reason. I have been lucky, 3 times I have ALMOST, been rear-ended. I have had it in the shop a couple times for the issue, and they tell me to read the manual and the car is fine. I have talked with 5 other Tesla owners, and they have all had the problem of their car slamming on the brakes for no REAL reason. I think the GLITCH is a bigger problem than Tesla is willing to admit, and applies to most Tesla cars. there are even website forums about, "Phantom Braking", which is lingo for the same thing
System erroneously sounded forward collision warnings about once per minute. Automatic Emergency braking faulted and could not be enabled. Firmware version 2021.36.5.2
Car accident , car failed to deploy airbags .
break backing plate screw loosened and go into the break disk. it create noise when driving and breaking. the loosened screw might the damage the break rotor. the screw was removed from the break disk and tighten again by independent service center The manufacturer have inspected no warning lamps but it create noise. so it is not hard to detect this issue. it first appear on 19 Oct and I have the service center fix it right the way.
My vehicle is a "Tesla Vision Only" (non-radar) Model 3 on firmware 2021.32.21 although this issue occurred on other firmware I've used as well. At night the car will very very frequently brake 3-10 miles an hour for no reason. It's specifically bad at night. It regularly thinks the ongoing traffic is headed in my lane. It regularly slows me down significantly before the top of a hill. Sometimes this can happen 3-5 times in succession within 5 minutes and causes other drivers to react to my vehicle as if it were dangerous. My only recourse is to tap the accelerator as quickly as I can to override the braking or not use the cruise control. This happens mostly on two lane two way traffic roads, often with gentle curves, and worst at night. I now have a car without even "dumb" cruise control. This is not what you think you're buying when you get a brand new $50k vehicle. When I originally received the vehicle in June I had brought up my experience to a technician while they were servicing the vehicle for other purposes they told me that there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the camera system and that with more firmware updates it would get better. It is not better, I'd say it's gotten worse since I bought the vehicle.
Periodically one headlight starts flashing and my front turn signal won’t work. This typically happens in the middle of driving so I’m at risk of getting home safely.
On September 1st, I was perpendicular back parking on the street in front of my home. Spaces are fairly tight and the street fairly narrow, so it is not uncommon to shift between reverse and drive a couple times to adjust one's fit before parking. That said, a quarter of the way into my parking spot, I shifted from drive to reverse after finishing adjusting. After doing so, I pushed on the accelerator and was sent forward as if I were in drive. I toggled between drive and reverse multiple times over the course of 15 seconds. Pushing on the accelerator continued to send me in the opposite direction, causing me to hit the sidewalk curb in front of me multiple times. The situation resolved itself after 20 or so seconds. Then, the same exact situation occurred on Sept 7 and again on Sept 13, and those times, I nearly hit the car parked adjacent to me. All of this occurred while hold mode was on, meaning the car was not simply swaying with gravity. There could be a host of defects involved in the manifestation of such a problem - perhaps a bug in the software which controls the power train. The swapping of reverse and drive for no apparent reason presents a huge safety concern/liability. I could have hit pedestrians on the sidewalks in front and behind or severely damaged mine and someone else's vehicle. My street is one of two which allow access to a monument. That said, there are always a ton of pedestrians, many of which are young children. I scheduled a Tesla service appointment after the first occurrence. Timestamps and video of each of the incidents was captured and provided to Tesla. They claim there is no issue and that the car was simply rolling due to gravity - despite hold mode. Furthermore, I drive on the same street every day and the aforementioned issue does not happen every time. Even given my three scary experiences, Tesla has refused to take any further inaction, other than to reassure me nothing is wrong with my vehicle.
While parked, as I selected "R" (reverse), the car lurched and displayed two warning messages: "Rear motor disabled - safe to drive" and "Vehicle shutting down - PULL OVER SAFELY". The drive train was locked up and I fear that if the car had been moving when this happened, it would stopped suddenly possibly causing an accident. The car was towed away.
The vehicle will suddenly brake with no discernible obstacles when advanced cruise control is engaged. We experienced multiple “phantom braking” events during an 800+ mile road trip (round trip) last week, which was so frequent and unpredictable that autopilot and autosteer (Tesla’s terms) are unsafe to use. The first half of our trip was on two-lane highways and the car would brake heavily on clear roads and triggered two emergency accident avoidance events when large pickups were approaching in the opposite lane (screen showed a vehicle in red in our lane, audible alarms + heavy braking). The braking was so sudden that we were almost rear ended twice. We chose a different route to return home on a divided interstate, hoping that the TACC system would work. It did not. The car would brake dramatically when we went over a small rise, there was a vehicle in our lane at a significant distance (.5-1.0 mile), or sometimes completely unpredictably. During these events, our speed would drop suddenly more than 20mph. It is an unsafe system to use in even light traffic.
I was pulling up next to a curb inside a neighborhood to park my car. I released my foot on the accelerator pedal to slow and stop my car. I slowly stepped on the brake pedal to switch the gear into reverse and my vehicle sped up very fast and hit the parked car in front of me and ran over the curb, my steering wheel also shifted to the right as if it was trying to dodge an obstacle on the road. It happpend so fast that I could not avoid the impact. I could have ran into a pedestrian and put their life at risk, or injured the person in the car that was parked, and even hurt myself badly. I've been getting neck pain and headaches. This incident was very terrifying and traumatizing. I tried to reach out to Tesla Service Center, but my tesla app was not working after the incident. The Tesla app was frozen for 10-15 mins after the incident. I kept trying to reach out to Tesla Service center and kept getting an automated response to utilize the Tesla App. Finally, the app started working again, I left them a message regarding the accident and photos, and they responded two days after, but did not address the issue about unintended acceleration until I kept asking why are they ignoring my concerns about the uninteded accerlation, and then I received a phone call from a technician. He said that I do not have to bring my car for inspection, instead they will just check the logs and could take up to 8 weeks to see what happened. Estimated cost for exterior damages according to Geico Insurance is 5344.74. Tesla Service Center denied having the car inspected physcially for any sensor issues and malfunction issues, states that I don't have to bring my car in at all, they will submit a report for engineering team to review the driving logs at the time of the accident only. My car is currently towed to a 3rd party body shop that is Tesla certified. No warnings from my car screen alerts or anything prior to the accident.
When driving with the adaptive cruise control on, the car will for no reason, briefly slam on the brakes for no reason. I have almost been rear ended twice because of this. check mark box above in this web page would not allow me to check the adaptive Cruise Control item.
When accessing the on-screen owner's manual, the Tesla screen freezes completely and no controls or signals are available. After the screen freezes, the air conditioning starts to blow at a full blast for about 30 seconds. The Tesla screen then goes blank for about two minutes, at which time the driver has no access to signals, speedometer, alerts, or any other car information detail. It is not clear if lights or doors are impacted. The car is able to accelerate and brake during this period, but the driver is essentially "driving blind." After approximately two minutes, the screen flashes a Tesla logo and reboots. Once the screen reboots, the screen - and car operation - appear to operate normally. This has occurred four times over a period of several weeks. This is a safety hazard. In one instance the screen went blank while driving on a highway on-ramp. It was frightening to have all car controls disappear. I appeared to have control of the steering wheel, accelerator and brake, but since there was no instruction or warning, there was no way of knowing if or when the car would simply stop on the highway. Since the speedometer, turn signal indicators, and traffic alert features disappeared, the car became hazardous to drive. In at least two of the incidents, there was no place to pull the car over while the car (hopefully) reset. Tesla automated software updates have not yet corrected this problem. The Tesla "bug report" was used to report the problem after the systems resumed function, but there has been no communication from Tesla on the matter. According to Tesla forums, other Tesla owners have experienced the same problem.
When I was driving on highway the suddenly I lost power and if I press gas pedal it would not go. I applied brake to slow down and pull over but as soon as I applied the brake it corrected on its own and continued to go since I did had similar issue like this previously I called Tesla and asked them to tow it to the shop. This is the 3nd time that I'm having an issues with drivetrain that my car was towed to shop.
Tesla: 2021 Model 3 (Standard w/Full Self-Driving Capability) Vehicle Safety Issues as of August 09, 2021: 1. Vehicle does not have interior rear manual door release to allow rear seat occupants to escape in case(s) of emergency or vehicle electrical power failure 2. Vehicle does not have an exterior manual release for all doors in order to allow first responders the ability to assist or rescue vehicle occupants and/or driver 3. Vehicle doe not provide regenerative charging of 12V batter used as the only primary source of power to operate all Onboard Computer and Diagnostics, as well as electronics 4. Vehicle does not provide redundancy to operate Onboard Computer and Diagnostics or to maintain the electronics in order to allow vehicle to keep satellite contact or radio beacon 5. Vehicle does not have a mechanical locking system and is unable to be opened in the event of failure of the 12V battery 6. Vehicle does not have any audible seatbelt warning 7. Vehicle does not shift into Park or Neutral when drivers door or passenger doors are open 8. Vehicle interior parts and exterior parts are not securely fastened or reasonably installed to a standard that provides protection to occupants in cases of side impact, rear impact, and frontal collisions 9. Vehicle does not adequately provide secure installation or covering of Side-curtain Airbags, as well as a poorly designed tether that can easily be pulled triggering the Airbags gas canister 10. Vehicle does not have any audible seatbelt warning 11. Vehicle does not shift into Park or Neutral when drivers door or passenger doors are open 12. Materials used in vehicle are both flammable and gaseous, as well as produce a toxic smell when ignited 13. Vehicle "Panoramic" glass roof provides UV protection and actually absorbs heat 14. Vehicle does not feature adequate detection of: moving objects(pedestrians, bicyclist) 15. Vehicle is unable to safely navigate streets or highways with out solid lines or objects to follow
There was engine power loss while I was driving on the highway. So due to power loss I parked the car on the side and then put it back in to drive and it would go for approximately 10min then I lost power again, it started to do like these few times. Since it was unsafe I stopped the car and had the factory tow it to the shop.
After parking and leaving the car, I realize later the dashboard did not shut down. The dashboard was still illuminated, and I was also able to hear the sound from a tuned FM radio. I re-open and closed both the driver and the passenger doors in an attempt to shutoff the dashboard. Since I did not get the expected result, I decided to get back into the car. I sat down in the driver chair to investigate the problem when the car was instantly activated and switched to a sudden and uncontrolled acceleration. It crashed into a facing wall after a run of about 30 feet.
see description on file report Nb:11423241
I previously reported unexpected acceleration on two occasions with this car. This follow up not is to inform NHTSA that Tesla has not been willing to provide any information or investigation results more than 8 weeks after my report to them. They told me they couldn’t discuss it and I would be contacted within 5 weeks. When I inquire now they just say it’s still under investigation.
Automatic cruise control (autopilot) has twice failed to decrease speed when it should have. The vehicle will also brake at a moderate to high rate on the highway with zero warning or message, with no obstacle or vehicle on the road, creating a dangerous situation with following vehicles. ACC also requires the use of automatic wipers and automatic high beams, both of which activate at random times and thus encourage their disuse (e.g. sunny clear day, or with obvious traffic in front of the vehicle, respectively). Automatic high beams turning on and flashing when they shouldn't is unsafe for other drivers. Finally, the use automatic wipers and high beams is not listed as a requirement for active safety features such as FCW and AEB to function. However, these two critical safety systems rely on the same camera array and systems with problematic functionality described above. It's hard to believe that these actual safety systems, listed as a feature of the vehicle, are able to function as required when the full array of sensors and logic, shared with autopilot, are unable to perform reliably.
While I was driving on the state way at about 50 to 55mph, the car suddenly sped up and the ABS system kicked ON and the brake pedal became tight and when I fully pressed the pedal to stop the car, the car would not move after that and it gave some random error messages. Called 911 since I was blocking the road and the informed Tesla. They towed the vehicle to their workshop. The tow truck drive mentioned that the car would not even go in to tow mode.
On two separate occasions our Model 3 experienced uninitiated acceleration. Both times we were able engage the breaks and prevent any issue, but it’s disconcerting. We reported to Tesla on April 22nd and they said they would get back to us.
At around 5:30pm on 5/16/2021 We were entering our garage when our tesla accelerated on its own into our garage extremely quickly and nearly brought the garage down.
-BODY PARTS ON CAR A LOT WERE OFF ALIGNED, SERVICE DEPT WON'T HELP OR ANSWER CALLS - SENTRY MODE DRAINS BATTERY (SALES REP SAID IT DOESN'T, SINCE THE CAMERA STORAGE ISN'T STORED ON THE CAR) - REAR PASSANGER DOOR PANEL IS NOT ON CORRECT - THERE WAS GREEN TAPE INSIDE THE CAR - THE WINDOW TRIM WAS HANGING OFF. - ADAM TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD BE WORKING WITH THE 'REMARKETING TEAM' TO GET ME A BETTER THAN NORMAL TRADE IN QUOTE. SAID HE WAS WORKING WITH A SPECIAL TEAM TO GET ME A QUOTE - AND THAT THE TEAM SHOULD HAVE OFFERED ME A LONG RANGE VEHICLE AND HE APOLOGIZED - CALLED ME WITH A REGULAR TRADE IN QUOTE. HE WENT TO THE TESLA.COM WEBSITE AND SUBMITTED A TRADE IN QUOTE AND WAS NOT WORKING WITH A 'SPECIAL REMARKETING TEAM" - KEVIN CALLED ME AND ASKED FOR ADAM AND IF I HAD RECEIVED MY TRADE IN QUOTE THROUGH THE WEBSITE, FIGURED IT OUT THAT IT WAS ME AND NOT ADAM, HUNG UP AND BLOCKED ME. - CALLED AND WANTED TO TAKE MY CAR IN FOR THE ISSUES - THE ADVISOR WOULDN'T GIVE ME HIS NAME AND THAT HE FELT THREATENED BECAUSE I ASKED FOR HIS NAME. - MY WIFE GOES DOWN TO TESLA COSTA MESA TO SPEAK TO KEVIN WONG THEN SPEAKS TO BRIAN AND FINDS OUT JARED IS WHO ACCUSED ME OF THREATENING HIM. - JULIA CALLED ME AFTER THAT INTERACTION, THE SAME DAY AND GAVE ME THE 3 OPTIONS - WENT BACK AND SAID 'IT WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION' -CAR AC STOPPED WORKING WHEN DRIVING -CAR WOULDN'T START -REAR SMALL WINDOW SHATTERED BY ITSELF WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY, CAUSING US TO SWERVE AND ALMOST HITTING THE SIDE BARRIER.
2021 TESLA MODEL 3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AN ISSUE WITH THE RIGHT PILLAR CAMERA. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE CAMERA FREQUENTLY DISPLAYED AN "OBSTRUCTED" ERROR MESSAGE, BUT THERE WAS NO OBSTRUCTION. *JS
ON FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AT 4:08 PM.. THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF MY ARRIVAL AT WORKPLACE WHICH IS ALSO DISPLAYED IN MY NAVIGATION. AS SOON AS I'M DOING A REVERSE TO PARK MY TESLA FOR SOME REASON AND IT DID HAPPEN SO QUICKLY ACCIDENTALLY PRESS THE ACCELERATOR HARDER AND AS A RESULT I CAUSE AN ACCIDENT THAT MY REAR BUMPER HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME THAT WAS PARKED. THE DAMAGED WAS HUGE THAT IT KNOCK OFF THE PARKED CAR FRONT BUMPER, IT BROKE THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT AND BUCKLED THE ENGINE HOOD. IT REALLY BOGGLES ME AS TO HOW IT HAPPENED, I RE-CREATE THE SCENARIO AT HOME IT TURNS OUT AND I TRULY BELIEVED THAT I GOT CONFUSED WITH THE CURRENT DRIVING MODE AS I SWITCH THE CAR TO REVERSE WHILE I STOP TO CHECK MY PROXIMITY, BUT THE DISPLAY CHANGES TO 'HOLD BRAKE' FONT. NOT KNOWING THAT IT STILL IN REVERSE MODE, ALTHOUGH THE TOP LEFT VERTICALLY DISPLAYED DRIVE MODE INDICATOR STILL SHOWING BUT IT IS TOO SMALL/ MINIMAL THAT IT'S HARD TO DISTINGUISH WHICH ONE IS ACTIVE. FOR AN OWNER THAT'S NEW TO THIS ELECTRIC CAR IT IS CONFUSING AND SPECIALLY YOU HAVE OTHER ICE CAR YOU CURRENTLY DRIVING AT HOME.TESLA SHOULD CONSIDER AN UPDATE TO THE DISPLAY ON THE DRIVING MODE INDICATOR. THE DEFAULT AS YOU SWITCH THE STALK TO D, P, N OR R, THAT LARGE FONT ONLY DISPLAY MOMENTARILY AND IT CHANGES TO YOUR SPEED AND THEN CHANGES TO ' HOLD- BRAKE FONT ICON'. THOSE DISPLAY FONT P-D- R- N ON THE TOP LEFT CORNER IS TOO MINIMAL AND EVEN LIGHTLY OBSTRUCTED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. EVEN THE FONT COLOR IS HARDLY DISTINGUISHABLE, THE CURRENT DRIVE MODE IS ONLY BOLD IN THE SAME COLOR. THIS IS REALLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED ASAP. TESLA MODEL 3 DISPLAY SHOULD BE UPDATED, THE DRIVE MODE SHOULD BE VISIBLE ENOUGH AND PERMANENT ON THE DISPLAY. LOOK AT THE MODEL S.. IT HAS A VERY VISIBLE/ EASY TO DISTINGUISH YOUR CURRENT DRIVING MODE. ( P-D- N-R ) [XXX] CONTACT: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
THE CAR SUDDENLY POWERED OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. THE CAR REMAINED BROKEN DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NEEDED TO BE TOWED TO THE SERVICE CENTER. THE SERVICE REPORT INDICATES THAT THE DRIVE UNIT FAILED.
HEAT NO LONGER WORKS IN THE CAR'S CLIMATE CONTROL. THIS APPARENTLY IS TIED TO FAULTY HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE SENSORS THAT MUST WORK PROPERLY FOR THE HEATING SYSTEM TO WORK, AND TESLA SERVICE CENTERS ARE AWARE OF THIS YET ARE NOT PROACTIVELY REPLACING THEM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN COLD CLIMATES SINCE THE WINDSHIELD DEFROST NO LONGER WORKS, AND THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE OVERALL IN COLD TEMPERATURES WITHOUT FUNCTIONAL HEAT. THIS ISSUE APPEARS TO BE RESTRICTED TO THE 2020/2021 MODEL 3/YS WITH THE HEAT PUMP THAT REQUIRE THESE SENSORS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. ANOTHER SYMPTOM IS THE CLIMATE SCREEN DISPLAYS AN ERROR MESSAGE OF "CLIMATE KEEPER IS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO A SYSTEM FAULT."
WATER INTRUSION IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHLESS CARWASH . WATER LEAKED FROM UNDER THE GLOVEBOX COMPARTMENT. DRIVING OFF THE CARWASH BAY, WATER WAS HEARED SLOSHING THEN THE LEAK
TESLA MODEL 3, WHILE DRIVING WILL REPORT A LEFT/RIGHT COLUMN CAMERA, IS OBSTRUCTED DO TO CONDENSATION ON THE INSIDE OF THE CAMERA COVER. WHILE DRIVING ON THIS INTERRUPTS ADVANCED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS SUCH AS AUTO LANE CHANGE, BLIND-SPOT DETECTION, AND LANE DEPARTURE WARNING. THIS HAS ME CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE ADAS FEATURES AS CONDENSATION HAS IMPEDED FUNCTIONALITY MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE USING THE FEATURE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
THE HEATING SYSTEM FAILED IN DANGEROUSLY COLD CONDITIONS IN A REMOTE AREA ON A WEEKEND TRIP TO THE ADIRONDACKS. I WASN'T ABLE TO REACH ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE APP, AND I END UP DRIVING IT 7 HOURS HOME WITHOUT ANY HEAT. THE HEAT SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN LEAVING OUR HOTEL TO DRIVE HOME. THE TEMPERATURE -18 DEGREES F. AFTER IT HAD BEEN REPAIRED, THE SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY SEVERAL FAULTY SENSORS. HE INDICATED IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM, RESULTING FROM A BAD BATCH OF SENSORS FROM A CERTAIN MANUFACTURER, AND THAT TESLA HAS SINCE STOPPED PURCHASING THE SENSORS FROM THAT MANUFACTURER. THIS IMPLIES THAT TESLA KNEW THE SENSORS IN MY CAR WERE DEFECTIVE. WHAT THE HELL?! THIS IS DANGEROUS!!! IF I WAS A LITTLE OLD LADY, I COULD HAVE FROZEN TO DEATH! WHY HASN'T TESLA ISSUED A SAFETY RECALL?
WHEN I TEST DROVE THE TESLA MODEL 3, THERE WAS AN OPTION TO TURN REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO LOW. THIS ALLOWED THE CAR TO HAVE MORE OF A COASTING EFFECT WHEN ONE LIFTS THE FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR. WHEN I RECEIVED DELIVERY OF THE CAR, THE ABILITY TO REDUCE THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING EFFECT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE REMOVAL OF THIS FEATURE IS BEING DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN ONLINE FORUMS. THE LATEST VERSION OF THE OWNERS' MANUAL STATES THAT REGENERATIVE BRAKING IN THE STANDARD SETTING COULD CAUSE THE CARE TO LOSE TRACTION IN WINTER CONDITIONS AND THAT DRIVERS SHOULD SELECT THE LOW SETTING. BY REMOVING THIS ABILITY, TESLA, BY ITS OWN ADMISSION, HAS DECREASED THE CAR'S SAFETY IN WINTER CONDITIONS. A RAPID DECELERATION OF A CAR ON SLIPPERY ROADS IS ALMOST GUARANTEED TO INDUCE A SKID AND MAKE THE CAR DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. I FIND THIS EXTREMELY CONCERNING. TESLA NEEDS TO BRING THE FEATURE BACK, OR PUBLICIZE OTHER COMPENSATIONS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN MADE UNBEKNOWNST TO OWNERS. I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE CAR ON 12/24/20, BUT ACCORDING TO ONLINE FORUMS THIS SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED STARTING IN OCTOBER OF 2020. A SIDE COMPLAINT WOULD BE THAT TESLA DOES NOT UPDATE THE OWNERS MANUAL IN A TIMELY MANNER TO COINCIDE WITH THE MANY SOFTWARE UPDATES. THE ABOVE EXAMPLE IS JJUST ONE OF MANY, SINCE THE CURRENT MANUAL MAKES A RECOMMENDATION THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DO IN THE 2021 MODEL 3 REFRESH.
7 Recalls
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Model 3 and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles. The brake caliper bolts may be loose, allowing the brake caliper to separate and contact the wheel rim.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model 3 vehicles. The left and/or right side curtain air bag may have been improperly secured to the roof rail, which could result in a twisted air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 214, "Side Impact Protection" and 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model Y and 2019-2021 Model 3 vehicles. The front suspension lateral link fasteners may loosen, allowing the lateral link to separate from the sub-frame.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The "rolling stop" functionality available as part of the Full Self-Driving (Beta) software may allow the vehicle to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The audible chime may not activate when the vehicle starts and the driver has not buckled their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A software error may cause a valve in the heat pump to open unintentionally and trap the refrigerant inside the evaporator, resulting in decreased defrosting performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
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Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.